Rising Stars: Meet Kacey Williams of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kacey Williams

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like 90% of people, I came out to LA to be an actor. I was always a creative person, but depending on acting alone to fulfill my creativity was limiting me. So, in an effort to see immediate creative fulfillment, I did my first painting 12 years ago. I always knew how to draw, but I had to teach myself a new way of seeing the world by incorporating color. My first piece was black and white because it bridged the knowledge I had of light and shadow with a new medium in acrylic paint. The second one I introduced color. But just purple and yellow. Opposite colors, but exploring now a world where it wasn’t simply black and white…. Then one night I drank some champagne and painted a mural on my roommates wall. The painting I did after that was my first commissioned piece. I have since stopped acting, and leaned fully into life as a physical artist. It became my primary creativive outlet and is very much a part of who I am now.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life as an artist is never smooth. We don’t live for the accolades, and the thrill of selling a piece only lasts so long before you’re itching for the next thing. Artists have a tendency to lean into their shadows. That’s where inspiration lives, but we can oftentimes get stuck there. I do. More often than I like. But the catch is, you have your art to pull you out. There are of course going to be months where you don’t sell a thing. Or you’ll post something you’re really proud of, and it won’t be received that well. But, the only thing you can do is keep creating. You must do it for yourself and not any other person, or any form of glory. If you’re operating from a space of personal fulfillment, it won’t matter how rocky the road is, because the point is self satisfaction alone. Any glory that comes after that is just the cherry on top.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well two very different mediums have seemed to get the most online attention.. My new favorite style is a sculpted piece designed to look like it’s coming out of the canvas, with an acrylic pour on top of that to create fluidity and motion. Those are my favorite pieces to create as I love sculpting, and I haven’t actually seen anyone else do that before. It’s really rare to see anything new these days. But that feels very new.

The other thing people seem to respond to are my quick sketches. I still don’t know what makes them so fascinating to people, but they seem to really enjoy them. People ask me to do them at parties, even. I just sit with a blank piece of paper and a pen and just start scribbling until I see a shape starting to form. Maybe a face, or a couple dancing. I bring the figure out and boom… something new is created in less than five minutes. I think it’s the expression people like. It’s honest. Free of perfectionism. Just a vibe. And some of those quick sketches are my favorites!

Any big plans?
I’m honestly so proud of where my art is right now. You can find my pieces hanging on the walls of some very culturally prominent figures like Oscar winning producer Sue Krull, art powerhouse Edye Broad, among others. But, I am excited to take my art more public. I’ve been mostly a word of mouth artist for some time and have only recently decided to enter into the world of exhibits, and festivals. My last exhibit was the Newport Beach Art Exhibit a couple weeks ago, and I just submitted my application for another prominent Art show that I’m waiting to hear back on. Until then I’m focused on creating new things… and, of course finishing the commission pieces that are screaming for a varnish, and delivery.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaceywilliams.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcwilliams222